Cold Peace
by Lunaculus
Summary: A game cannot go on without the player. Without the player, everything is frozen. Frozen into a happy ending that three sad creatures were never able to live through. Post-Pacifist. Oneshot.


Have you ever wondered what happens after the ending of a fairytale? The book is closed, so you never really get to see how it plays out for the characters you grew to love. Did they stay happy ever after? Or did something happen that broke their days of happiness? Did the world you read about disappear the moment you closed the book, only to be reborn once the book is opened again, with everything in that world resetting as you read through it once more? Or are the characters, perhaps, nothing but faceless actors playing out their roles in the story, freed from their purpose once the story ends?

In truth, none of that happens. Instead, the world freezes to a complete halt. The happy ending is still there, all around the characters that have, as well, all frozen in time, those happy smiles forever stuck on their faces. It's a state of never ending, oblivious bliss where no one knows that everything they were planning to do after finally being rescued is never going to happen. Because that very moment the first sentence rolls of the tongue of the reader is the ending.

"At least they're all happy", one could think. "They'll never know they're gonna miss out on all those things. So they'll be forever happy and hopeful."

All for a future that never comes.

Is it truly an ending of happiness?

Those are all things he wondered about as he let out a quiet sigh into the still air. It was as if the complete silence swallowed his sigh, muffling it.

Not that there would be anyone out there to hear it to begin with.

The sharp gaze from within the empty eyesockets of a round shaped skull lifted slightly to watch the small figure resting atop a bed of yellow flowers. Even a smallest movement, any sign of waking up from that peaceful slumber and the world around him would shatter. Like it had done so many times before. Of course Sans didn't wish for the world to reset after they had finally reached the true ending. The one where everyone was finally free to leave the Underground and live in the outside world together. His brother had been so happy about getting to be the ambassador, despite having felt worried about why the human had so abruptly denyed taking the position themselves. A small chuckle slipped past Sans' teeth, though not a joyful one.

So this was why they didn't want to do it.

As always, the brunet child was completely motionless. Still and frozen. Like everything in this world. Sans wasn't sure how long he had been sitting guard for the tiny body of the human. With no day and night cycle running, with the moon eternally shining to the bed of flowers through the hole at the mountain top, it was hard to tell. He had already given up trying to count days long ago, only having gotten up to three days after the fatigue of insomnia got the best of him. There was nothing he wanted as much in the world than just to sleep eternally. To be like the rest of his friends, frozen in time. Yet, as much as he wanted to be a part of that happy ending, he couldn't. It was the curse of a time traveler.

Yet why did Frisk get to rest, then? Why did they get to sleep like everyone else? They were a time traveler as well, so why weren't they stuck in a frozen world like him?

The skeleton pulled the hood of his blue hoodie over his head, wrapping his arms around his legs and resting his forehead against his knees.

*i hope you're happy, kid. wherever you are.

*Gosh, are you still moping over that IDIOT?

Immediately upon hearing the mocking voice, the skeleton jumped up, his left eyesocket flaring a bright hue of blue. Spawning a bunch of sharp, glowing aqua bones around him, he faced the source of the voice with a furious growl.

*Y O U . .

The yellow flower with a friendly face merely smiled at Sans in response to his aggressive demeanor. Much to the skeleton's annoyance, it was a somewhat sad smile. Almost apologetic.

*Relax, bonehead. I'm not here to fight*, the flower reassured and tilted its head slightly to the side, the motion mockery of the innocence of a confused puppy. *I'm stuck in this boring world just like you. I just want to talk.*

Sans frowned at the words, sending one of his magic bones flying at the flower in a high speed. It hit the ground only a couple inches from where the flower was sprouting from, flowing for a couple more seconds before turning a plain white color. To the skeleton's dismay, the flower didn't even flinch.

*why would i want to talk to you?*, Sans hissed at the creature, hiding his hands in the pockets of his hoodie but still remaining alert and ready to strike. The white face of the said being distorted, the friendly face turning into a grin full of sharp teeth and a pair of white eyes with no pupils in them. The whole emotion was mocking Sans for showing any kind of mercy, laughing at his desperation for some sort of contact with anyone or anything.

*Because I'm all you have left.

The furious flame in the eyesocket died out along with the glow of the aqua bones, leaving them white and falling down on the ground with a cluttering noise. Sans groaned in both annoyance and defeat, going back to sit on his earlier spot in the shadows. He felt the flower's eyes on him but ignored it, simply staring off into the distance with his arms, once more, wrapped around his legs for comfort. When the flower spoke again, its voice sounded like it was closer. Sans could see that it had approached him from the corner of his eyesocket.

*Are you going to kill them if they attempt to reset?

*i dunno.

*If they reset, you're going to lose your happy little ending. Everyone will be back down here with us again. It'll all start over.

*i guess.

*THEY'LL KILL EVERYONE. JUST TO KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE.

The flower's voice was distorted, almost a sinister chuckle. Its voice rand in Sans' head in an echo. The skeleton's hands clenched into fists and he frowned, gritting his teeth. The image of his brother's bright red scarf left abandoned in the snow flashed in his mind and he gripped at the edges of his hood, pulling his head deeper into the shadows of it.

*i don't care.

*It's just a matter of time until they come back and reset. And then you'll all die.

It was not like the idea hadn't crossed his mind. Flowey was probably right. The kid would most likely eventually reset after having rested long enough. And once they discovered there were different ways they could play out their journey, they would eventually get curious and take the more sinister path. And it wouldn't be easy for anyone.

If he killed the human right here, maybe this happy ending would last forever. And Papyrus, the lady behind the door, Asgore, Undyne... everyone, could rest in peace. After all, Frisk was the anomaly in the time and space continuum. If he destroyed that anomaly, maybe time would start running again.

Maybe Papyrus would finally get to act as an ambassador. Toriel could teach kids at school. Undyne would get to be happy together with Alphys.

And he, himself, would finally get to experience that happy ending as well.

But the kid who made it all happen wouldn't be there.

The strange little kid in a pink striped, blue shirt and messy, brown hair.

The kid he called his friend.

What good would a happy ending be if everyone wouldn't be there to celebrate it?

The kid must have known what would happen after they all got out. That's why they refused to become the ambassador. That's why they told Toriel that they didn't want to stay with her. So why waste all the time an energy to a happy ending they would never even get to experience?

*...i trust 'em.

The voice was quiet, barely audible, and had Flowey tilting its head. This time in sincere confusion, though.

*What?

*i trust them*, Sans repeated with a slightly louder voice, a gentle smile on his face. His gaze shifted towards the human child's figure, lingering on the sleeping face surrounded by chocolate brown locks of hair. Frisk seemed so peaceful in their sleep. Just like Papyrus back on the surface, frozen into his eternal happiness without a single worry in the world. Just like everyone.

Just like the kid had wanted it to be. Just like they had fought so hard for it to be.

*Are you an IDIOT?*, Flowey laughed out in dark amusement. *If they're really your friend, they won't be able to resist coming back. And when they do, they'll start becoming curious. Little 'what if'' kind of thoughts. And sooner or later, they'll start a genocide.*

*if they're really my friend, they won't come back. and even if they will, i trust that they'll get us all the way back here.

The flower's sinister laughter roared, echoing throughout the frozen silence eeriely. Sans gritted his teeth again, his eyesocket flaring up as a warning.

*shut up.

*You don't know ANYTHING about humans, do you? They're such curious creatures. Something as weak as a single friendship won't keep them from wanting to experiment. Humans want POWER.

*i said shut up.

*Gee, I always knew you were an idiot but I never thought you'd actually be so NAIVE.

With a flash of blue, a pained scream filled the empty ruins. It was short lived, however, as it soon turned into a strangled cackle. Flowey's face was split in half, pixels from the large wound rising up to the air. He held himself back from vanishing just yet, grinning crookedly at the short skeleton.

*You'll see. You'll all see*, he whispered in a dark, menacing voice that sent shivers of doubt down Sans' spine. He frowned at the sight of the dying flower in disgust before sighing in annoyance and standing up. With slow, firm steps he walked over to the flower and lifted his foot above it.

And with a strong, fast motion, Flowey turned into pixels and disappeared.

For a couple minutes the skeleton just stood there staring at the spot where the flower had just been, almost certain that in a matter of seconds the creature would appear before him again. Like it would just pass up an oppotunity to torment someone like this. It was a creature of evil. Of course it would come back and taunt him until he'd kill it again and again. An endless cycle that would eventually drive Sans into insanity, but at least it would keep him entertained in his loneliness.

But the small bastard never came back.

Slowly, the figure of the skeleton relaxed and he sighed silently, the lonely little sigh once again being muffled by the intense silence all around.

*i trust you, kiddo.

*but i dunno how much longer i can trust myself.


End file.
